He received his medical degree at the Kirksville (MO) College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1981. After completing a rotating internship at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach (CA), he served as a general surgery resident at Botsford General Hospital, Farmington Hills, and completed a fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Ingham Medical Center (now McLaren Greater Lansing). He also trained in critical care under Babu Paidipady, MD, FCCM, in Livonia. He previously practiced with McLaren Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgeons at McLaren Greater Lansing as an attending cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon and critical care specialist, while also serving as its medical director for quality improvement and patient safety. Roth currently is on the medical staff at Sparrow Hospital, Lansing, where he continues to care for patients.

Roth is a clinical associate professor in surgery at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Human Medicine. He is a fellow in the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, the American College of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Surgeons. He completed the American Hospital Association — National Patient Safety Foundation Comprehensive Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship in 2014. He also served 14 years on the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery.

Roth presents locally and nationally on multiple topics with emphasis on the management of critically ill patients, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. He has coauthored articles on patient safety and reducing patient harm in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Critical Care, the Journal of American Osteopathic Association and Circulation.